North Fork Falls

There are multiple routes to the Kentucky Falls trailhead depending on the direction you come from; we will be describing the two most direct and most likely to be utilized. If approaching from the south, take Highway 101 to Reedsport and continue north out of town on Highway 101 across the Smith River bridge, then turn right onto Lower Smith River Road. Continue on Smith River Road for 11 miles, then immediately before a bridge across the North Fork Smith River, turn left onto Road 48. Now on Road 48 (both a county an Forest Service road), continue for just over 10-1/2 miles to the junction with Forest Service Road 23, where a sign will be seen pointing to Kentucky Falls. If approaching from the north, take Highway 36 to the town of Mapleton, then head east on Highway 126. Immediately after crossing the Umpqua river, turn right onto Sweet Creek Road, which eventually becomes Forest Service Road 48. Continue for 14.3 miles to where the pavement ends at the Goodwin summit, and then proceed another 6.2 winding miles down the hill to the same junction with Forest Service Road 23 described above. From either direction, now along Forest Service Road 23, follow Road 23 (which is paved) for another 12.4 miles to the Kentucky Falls trailhead - there are several signs marking the Kentucky Falls Natural Area before the trailhead to allow you to anticipate it. The trail begins across the road from the parking area. The first three-quarters of a mile are easy and level, leading to the top of Upper Kentucky Falls. From the top of the falls the grade increases a bit and several exposed sections of unguarded cliff are passed. Once past Upper Kentucky Falls the grade eases again and the trail continues at a more gentle pace until it passes the top of Lower Kentucky Falls, at which time several switchbacks descend to the viewing deck at the base of Lower Kentucky Falls, a total of 2 miles from the trailhead. North Fork Falls will be visible partially through the trees to the left of Lower Kentucky Falls. For a clear view, find the steps that lead down to the creek, then rock hop downstream for about a hundred feet to clear views (the rocks can be quite slick when wet).The Kentucky Falls Natural Area contains three of the best waterfalls in Oregon's Coast Range, all accessible via the same well graded trail system. North Fork Falls is the largest and most impressive of the three falls, found along the North Fork Smith River immediately adjacent to Lower Kentucky Falls itself. While Lower Kentucky Falls makes a clean leap over its cliff, the North Fork instead is split around a small rock promontory and begins its 125-foot drop by falling in two streams at 90-degree angles to one another. The river-right stream quickly corrects its course after falling into a narrow crevice, at which point both channels of the falls spray in parallel to the rocky riverbed below. During periods of high flow the river swells to such levels that, like Upper Kentucky Falls further up the trail, the two segments of the falls get swallowed up and it reverts to a single broad veil of water thundering into the basin. From the riverbed where the falls are best viewed from, hikers will be treated to a collective view of both North Fork Falls and Lower Kentucky Falls. During the drier months this view is quite easy to achieve due to the lower streamflow in Kentucky Creek. However in the winter and spring months when both streams are swollen, it may be difficult to achieve a good view of both North Fork Falls and both falls together without getting your feet wet - and the rocks in the streambed are quite slick to boot. Though both Kentucky Creek and the North Fork Smith River are similarly affected by the dry season, North Fork Falls seems to take a heavier toll by the summer's reduced streamflow because of how the river splits into two channels. By late July or early August expect the falls to just be a wispy spray of mist scattering down the cliff (it will flow all year however), while neighboring Lower Kentucky Falls should appear somewhat more organized since it drops in a much narrower plume.